Young clergy know certain days are going to be important in their work. Ascension Day (or Sunday) is not one of them. It goes without saying Christmas and Easter are important. Ash Wednesday and Pentecost may be important to some lay members. But All Saints’ Day and Ascension usually are not unless one serves a rather “high church” congregation. The older I get though I realize more these days are important to me.
One reason All Saints’ Day is important is because I continue to know more people of the great cloud of witnesses by name. The fortieth day after Easter is important to me for another reason. It is a necessary part of the gospel story.
What About Bigfoot?
What does bigfoot have to do with the Ascension? Let me illustrate it.
During a campfire story time around Halloween, one older member of my congregation began a story about something that had happened during his military service. He and his buddies were going camping for the weekend. After receiving an early pass, he went up into the Sierras before the others to set up the campsite and spend the first night alone. He woke up to a noise in the camp and described the shape of the shadow of the creature he saw on his tent.
One boy in the group shouted, “He’s lying!” I thought he was a pretty good storyteller because in the course of his tale, he never once used the words bigfoot or sasquatch. But we all knew what the creature was from the description he gave. Setting the story in California helped too. Another important fact is if I ever heard him tell the story again, the details would be different.
What About The Ascension?
The stories of Jesus resurrection given in the gospels differ. While we can argue about the meaning of these differences, it makes developing sermons and lessons this season better because of the changes in focus of the narratives. Descriptions of Jesus’ ascending into heaven have mixed details. Luke’s Gospel speaks directly about the how Jesus is taken up into heaven after appearing to the disciples on the night of Easter. He ties the resurrection, commission, and the ascension together with proving he is alive and opening their minds to the Scriptures.
Acts, which is the second volume to Luke, says Jesus made appearances for forty days before he is taken into heaven for the last time. During these days Jesus has been repeating his teachings about the kingdom of God. He tells them to wait for an unspecified number of days for the Spirit to bring them power to be his witnesses. They ask Jesus if that is the time he will restore the kingdom to Israel. It is the wrong question. Yet, it is the question in the reader’s mind. What about the kingdom of God?
Why The Ascension?
A teacher once told me the story of the Ascension is necessary to curb further stories of appearances of Jesus. It may serve that purpose. I do not think it is the intention. The synoptic gospels record the Transfiguration. We celebrate this experience of the disciples on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. Matthew and Mark tell us Elijah and Moses appeared in the divine glory surrounding Jesus and speak with him but do not let us in on the conversation. Luke reports they discussed Jesus’ impending “departure” (exodus) from Jerusalem. (9:30-32)
The discussion does not point to Jesus’ death but his ascension. Elijah was taken up in the fiery chariot (2 Kings 2) and Jewish traditions at the time held that Moses’ grave could not be found because he was assumed into heaven. Peter’s desire to build shrines to them is to keep all three present forever. Peter wants in essence another Temple Mount. Jesus explains in Acts that he wants the disciples to be witnesses throughout the world.
Leaving Room
One older man tried to calm the boy down. “He (the storyteller) is not lying. He is just telling a story to entertain.” Of course, the boy was attempting to protect himself. If it was all a lie, then he knew he did not need to be afraid. The older man understood that. The story was better than most tales like it. I thought about how the story could be applied. What should one do when confronted by an unknown large animal while alone? The story ended with the teller discussing his experience with a road building crew. “You’ve seen it? It keeps tearing stuff up around here. But no one is going to stand guard.” The story left room for the animal to do as it pleased.
Acts has more appearances by Jesus after the ascension. He is the witness in heaven to St. Stephen’s martyrdom. Jesus calls out to Saul the persecutor of the church. St. Paul provides a teaching from Jesus not found in the gospels, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” (Acts 20:35) Mainly, though, the Ascension leaves room for the Spirit to lead the disciples. For the disciples it is no longer a matter of being where Jesus is and traveling with him. They take him in the Spirit wherever they go.
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